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Republican First District candidates: Public servants, not politicians

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Republicans Kristine Gabor, left, and Sam Fiocchi, center, who are running as State Assembly candidates for the 1st Legislative District, listen as their running-mate Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt, candidate for State Senate in the 1st Legislative District, talks about issues during an editioral board meeting with the South Jersey Times, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. (Staff Photo by Britney Lillya/South Jersey Times)

The three Republican candidates in the First Legislative District say their goal — if elected — is to stimulate the economy in South Jersey and bring new business to the area.

Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt, running for state Senate, and Sam Fiocchi and Kristine Gabor, both vying for seats in the state Assembly, believe it’s time for new representatives with new ideas for the district.

Adelizzi-Schmidt, 46, of Upper Township, is facing off against Democratic Sen. Jeff Van Drew for a Senate seat.

Fiocchi, 61, of Vineland, and Gabor, 46, of Upper Township, are campaigning against the incumbent Democrats: Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Bob Andrzejczak.

New Jersey’s First Legislative District is made up of Cape May County, the majority of Cumberland County and a portion of Atlantic County.

Van Drew has served as senator since January 2008 when he defeated Republican incumbent Nicholas Asselta. He also served in the Assembly from 2002 to 2008.

Albano has served in the Assembly since January 2006, when he defeated Republican incumbent John C. Gibson. Andrzejczak has served since replacing then-Assemblyman Matt Milam in March — after Milam stepped down for family business.

The Republicans say it's time for new representatives in Trenton.

“It’s one thing to be a great politician,” Gabor said. “It’s another thing to be a great public servant.”

“I’ve lived in the district for 30 years, and we have the highest unemployment rate in the state. I feel very passionately that we need a leader with vision who is going to take this district forward,” said Adelizzi-Schmidt, who owns Suasion Communications Group in Somers Point.

That private-sector mindset is echoed by Fiocchi, a member of the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholder since 2011 and former owner of agriculture company Lee Rain Inc. and Belvedere Properties.

“I come from the private sector, I’m a job creator, and there’s very few of those people in the Legislature,” Fiocchi said. “I want to bring that business sense to Trenton.”

The major focus point of their plan is to set up a district-wide Economic Development Advisory Board

The idea for an advisory board evolved from work that Adelizzi-Schmidt, Fiocchi and Gabor have already started by speaking with business people throughout the district and getting a better understanding of how to help them.

If elected, the Republican team will sit on the board along with a bipartisan committee made up of local chamber of commerce members, business owners, law makers and municipal economic development representatives.

“This can’t just be a bunch of Republicans sitting around a table. It has to be bipartisan,” Adelizzi-Schmidt said. “We all have to come together — Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic.”

The Republicans also want to remind the rest of the state that South Jersey is a perfect place for business investments.

“We’re kind of fortunate in the area, particularly Cumberland,” Fiocchi said. “We have a lot of land that’s reasonably priced, we have a workforce here, we just need to be able to entice more employers to come down.”

By taking advantage of the New Jersey Economic Opportunity Act (A360), they said, a law that Gov. Chris Christie signed on Sept. 18 that provides financial incentives to private companies and expands the area that companies can qualify for Grow New Jersey Assistance Program tax credits.

The Republicans have also been in contact with Choose New Jersey, an economic development organization that has mainly focused on the North Jersey area.

The First District Republican team want to improve infrastructure in the two counties by working closely with the state Department of Transportation, establishing a light rail connection from Cumberland County to the rest of South Jersey, and extending Route 55 into Cape May County.

Along with improving business and transportation for the work force, Fiocchi hopes that the increased connectivity will bring tourism to areas like the Delaware Bayshore.

The Delaware Bayshore was ravaged by Superstorm Sandy and is still trying to rebuild after the destruction.

Although there isn’t a clear path to reconstruction, according to Fiocchi, the area is important to the district and won’t be forgotten.

All three candidates are in agreement when it comes to the Second Amendment, saying that government should focus on present laws and not create any more legislation making it tougher for law-abiding citizens to own guns.

On same-sex relationships, all three said that they would vote for marriage equality.

Adelizzi-Schmidt and Fiocchi both agreed that the government shouldn’t have a say when it comes to marriage.

“Having government decide what ... individuals can decide on their own isn’t necessarily a wise choice,” Adelizzi-Schmidt said.

Out of the three, Gabor was the most outspoken in her support of same-sex marriage.

“From a law standpoint, I have no issue with it,” Gabor said. “I think the fact that they want to make a long-term commitment to each other ... is admirable.”

Another issue Gabor feels strongly about is addiction counseling, which she has already spearheaded as a Cape May County Freeholder and director of human services. Gabor also served as an Upper Township committeewoman from 2009-2011.

She stresses the importance of treatment and has hosted forums in her home county to help people struggling with addiction.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter how much money you have or the color of your skin,” Gabor said. “Even if it’s not in your own family, it affects you because it affects your community.”

The candidates all agreed with the recent state-wide focus on “drug courts,” which focus more on recovery than jail time for low-level drug offenses. Gabor advocates for more treatment opportunities and plans to continue her addict program into the state Assembly.